What does the WHO recommend for identifying advanced HIV disease?

The WHO strongly recommends CD4 testing as the preferred method to identify advanced HIV disease.

What is considered advanced HIV disease by the WHO?

The WHO defines advanced HIV disease as a CD4 cell count less than 200 cells/mm3 in adults and children five years and older.

How do WHO's 2025 HIV guidelines aim to reduce deaths?

The guidelines focus on early detection, rapid ART initiation, and optimized clinical management to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Home / Health / WHO: CD4 Tests Key for Advanced HIV Detection

WHO: CD4 Tests Key for Advanced HIV Detection

23 Dec

•

Summary

WHO recommends CD4 testing to identify advanced HIV disease.
Advanced HIV disease is a major cause of AIDS-related deaths globally.
New guidelines focus on early detection and rapid ART initiation.

WHO: CD4 Tests Key for Advanced HIV Detection

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new 2025 guidelines emphasizing the critical role of CD4 testing in identifying advanced HIV disease. This recommendation is a significant step towards reducing AIDS-related deaths, which are largely attributed to this severe stage of HIV infection. The guidelines define advanced HIV disease as a CD4 cell count below 200 cells/mm3 in adults and children aged five and older.

For children under five, advanced HIV disease is presumed unless they have received ART for over a year and are clinically stable. In settings where CD4 testing is unavailable, WHO clinical staging will be used. The guidelines also detail specific scenarios for CD4 testing, including those initiating or reinitiating ART, experiencing treatment failure, or hospitalization.

Beyond diagnosis, the guidelines advocate for interventions to support hospital discharge transitions and reduce readmissions, such as goal setting and transitional care planning. For Kaposi's sarcoma, paclitaxel or pegylated liposomal doxorubicin are suggested. These updated recommendations aim to improve treatment outcomes and progress towards global HIV elimination targets.